US soldier charged in wife’s killing flees to Thailand

This undated photo provided by the Indianapolis Police Department shows Peter Van Bawi Lian. Authorities say the 21-year-old soldier who flew from Colorado to Indiana and allegedly killed his wife, then fled to Thailand, is now wanted for military desertion. (Indianapolis Police Department via AP)

Indianapolis (AP) – A 21-year-old U.S. soldier is accused of flying to Indianapolis from Colorado to kill his estranged wife, then dumping her body in a trash bin and fleeing to Thailand.

Peter Lian was charged with murder Wednesday in the death of Khuang Par, whose body was discovered in a suitcase in an Indianapolis dumpster on Dec. 23.

Par, 27, was living with Lian near Fort Carson in Colorado Springs but had returned to family in Indianapolis after she accused her husband of assaulting her on Nov. 30, Indianapolis police Det. Christopher Craighill said in a court filing.

Lian traveled to Indianapolis three weeks later, on Dec. 22. Flight records show he flew to Bangkok two days later. He didn’t return to Fort Carson and is considered by the U.S. Army to be a deserter, Craighill said. His current location is unknown.

On Dec. 3, Par obtained a court order to keep Lian away from her. He had been arrested a few days earlier by Colorado Springs police and charged with assault.

“Ms. Par told the Colorado police officers investigating this incident that she and (Lian) were arguing about her going back to Indiana. A physical altercation ensued and Peter began to choke her with one hand around the neck, then both hands around her neck,” Craighill said.

“Lian told officers he released pressure from around Par’s neck and before she could walk out of the door, he yelled, ‘I’m going to kill you,’ in her native language Burmese,” Craighill said.

Lian, who’s been in the Army for seven months, has the rank of specialist, according to Fort Carson.